Fatwa ID: 05492

Answered by: Mufti Irfan Ali

Question:

As Salaamu Alaykum, if one has a YouTube playlist of Islamic videos and he’s removing some watched videos from that playlist and he clicks a button saying remove from watch later and then later realised there is a bin icon there, what should he do going forward as it doesn’t feel comfortable pressing the buttons that says remove and had a bin icon when related to Islamic content.

Secondly, if a Muslim makes a video reacting to a video and on the icon, one can see a non-Mahram woman with hair uncovered and he doesn’t want to see that whilst on YouTube so he clicks the button ‘Not interested’ would that be sinful if the subject matter is about religion though his intention in pressing the button was so that he doesn’t see the non-Mahram woman?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

The watching of Islamic videos is of great use in terms of searching for Islamic knowledge in the current climate.

The removal of Islamic videos from the watch list or even deleting them, commonly known as recycling bins is not wrong or sin in any form. This is due to it not being an actual form of Islamic literature rather just a recording that is erased from the memory of the computer etc.

This cannot be compared to actual paper literature. Therefore one can go ahead and erase Islamic literature on phones, tablets etc.

Regarding the second question, if one was to come across such images and one reacts quickly to remove them then one shall be safe from sin, rather he shall be rewarded for fighting against the nafs to save himself from such evil. (Al Qawaidul Fiqhiyyah Rule 20 p.31)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Irfan Ali

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham